I’m boob-shamed for having £11k of surgery at 25 – people think I’m a Love Island reject, I’m a top businesswoman
SASHAYING into a London city boardroom wearing a sexy red bodycon dress, false lashes, and a full face of makeup, Sophie-Charlotte North confidently takes her seat and flips open her laptop.
The other men and women – all dressed in conservative suits or designer dresses – stare at her in confusion, before one asks if she’s the secretary and another demands to know when her boss is arriving.
It’s a scenario the uber-glam 25-year-old events company owner knows only too well.
“People think because I look like a Love Island contestant, I’m a bimbo,” says Sophie-Charlotte.
“I regularly get tweakment-shamed by business executives, potential dates and even other women, and I’m constantly mistaken for an assistant or secretary rather than the business owner.
“Other people tell me my Botox and filler-enhanced face and boob job means I will never be taken seriously as a businesswoman or find a husband.
It’s discrimination based on my looks.
Sophie-Charlotte
“It’s discrimination based on my looks,” says Sophie-Charlotte, who also gets regular manicures, eyebrow waxes, and blow-dries and wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without her makeup on.
“It’s shameful that in 2024 men and women attack you for taking care of your body and being proud of your looks, but I try to take the positives.
“It means they underestimate me and I’ve thrown them off guard, so they won’t see my deal-making prowess coming!”
Sophie – who lives in Woolwich, London, with Jordan, 30, her partner of 10 months – is not the only woman to experience looks discrimination or glam-shaming.
Earlier this month, legal secretary Megan Bratt won a sexual harassment claim against her boss after she was told she looked like a “Love Island reject”.
Some people say that 22 is too young to start Botox, but it’s my body. I have a beautician who is extremely skilled in administering her tweakment doses, which is the key.
Sophie-Charlotte
Ms Bratt, who holds a Master of Law, had been criticised by female colleagues at the solicitors where she worked for dressing like she was “on a night out”, with fake tan and false eyelashes, while her male boss told her she looked “nice”.
Sophie-Charlotte started having tweakments in 2019, and has since spent £7k on fillers and Botox, plus £4k on breast implants.
“I have always had a thin upper lip, which made me self-conscious,” she explains. “So when I was 21, I decided to do something about it – I had 1ml of filler injected into both lips, and loved the results. It made me feel empowered and confident, so I get a £150 top-up every six months.”
Aged 22, Sophie-Charlotte began having what she calls “preventative Botox”.
“It’s easier to prevent than cure. I did the research and started having Botox on my forehead, to prevent wrinkles and around my eyes, at £200 a session. I also had filler in my cheeks, which also costs £200 a go. I loved the results.
“Some people say that 22 is too young to start Botox, but it’s my body. I have a beautician who is extremely skilled in administering her tweakment doses, which is the key.
“I consider it an investment in my self-esteem.”
In May 2023, Sophie-Charlotte flew to Turkey for a boob job, going from a 34B to a 34E.
“I was targeted by mean girls because I had a small chest in school. That bullying plagued me, so I wanted bigger boobs for my self-confidence. The new curves complimented my filler and Botox, and my whole new, Love Island-esque look suited me.”
Meanwhile, Sophie-Charlotte – who started her career as a catwalk and catalogue model aged 18, before opening her own events management company and model agency in 2022 – also built up her business.
5 Tweakment Red Flags
Amish Patel, Award-Winning Aesthetics Practitioner, Skincare Expert at Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic shared his 5 red flags with Fabulous.
1. Cheap is not-so-cheerful
If you are searching for ‘cheap Botox’, cheap is often cheap for a reason. Botulinum toxin is a prescription medication, only to be carried out by the medical professional prescribing the drug. Cheap prices mean that corners are being cut.
2. ‘Filler packages’
And always have a consultation BEFORE committing to any treatment. Your face is unique & what suits one face might not suit yours.
3. ‘Botox parties’
If a clinic is offering ‘Botox parties’ avoid: alcohol and partying with friends do not mix with a medical aesthetics procedure.
4. Dirty clinics
Where do they do their treatments? Is it a clean and clinical environment? Hygiene and client safety is paramount. As with all injectables, there is potential for infection in contaminated surroundings.
5. Two-for-one deals
Don’t be tempted by ‘share with a friend’ filler deals. Filler syringes are single-use only; changing the needle does not protect from cross-contamination.
“I work with record and media companies, do collaborations on social media to promote products and roll out advertising campaigns for small- and medium-sized businesses.
“I have 50 models on my books, who are booked for shoots, ads, commercials, or to add glamour as party guests at big events. I’ve used my experience as a model to tap into the business potential of events management – and I’ve done this all before I was 25 years old.”
In the last two years, Sophie-Charlotte has doubled both her revenue and her clients – but she’s endured plenty of looks discrimination and treatment-shaming along the way.
“When I meet the accountants and business executives about events they want to hold, they get the shock of their lives.
“I walk in wearing trendy outfits, looking glam, and am instantly judged. They inevitably think I’m the assistant, work-experience person or secretary.
I know female executives look at me and think ‘Bimbo Barbie’, while the men assume I can’t look like this and be intelligent.
Sophie-Charlotte
“I know female executives look at me and think ‘Bimbo Barbie’, while the men assume I can’t look like this and be intelligent. They don’t even ask about my qualifications or experience. If I was a man, this wouldn’t happen,” she says.
“It used to horrify me, especially when women didn’t take me seriously. I assumed they’d welcome a 25-year-old with open arms. Instead, they think that because I put the time and effort into improving my looks, I forgot to bring a brain.
“I don’t get angry any more though – now, I play it up. Let them judge my plumped-up lips and enhanced breasts. I don’t miss a trick!”
Her looks attract plenty of unwanted attention from men, too.
“When random blokes try to chat me up, I smile and tell them I have a boyfriend and I’m not interested – that’s when the plastic surgery-shaming starts.
When random blokes try to chat me up, I smile and tell them I have a boyfriend and I’m not interested – that’s when the plastic surgery-shaming starts.
Sophie-Charlotte
“Instead of gracefully walking away, men will tell me I am too plastic for them, or they weren’t really interested anyway.
“One man told me I shouldn’t go near an open flame because I’d melt!
“I just laugh. They wouldn’t have tried to ask me out if they weren’t keen. Their reaction says more about their own insecurities than mine and loves by looks and supports by business. He stands up for me if people tell me I am brainless. He knows I have business prowess!.” she says.
Now, Sophie-Charlotte is planning on having veneers on her teeth, as well as other nips and tucks as she gets older.
One man told me I shouldn’t go near an open flame because I’d melt.
Sophie-Charlotte
“Tweakments and plastic surgery are as common as having your hair coloured these days,” she says.
“I didn’t have anything done to make a man happy – I did it for me, and I’m sick of people assuming the more tweakments you have, the less brains you possess.
“Just because I don’t fit into some outdated stereotype of what a boss should look like doesn’t mean I deserve to be demeaned, trolled or attacked.
“Women can’t win – if you go glam, you’re brainless. If you go make-up free, you’re not trying hard enough. It’s 2024, and I’m free to look however makes me feel empowered.
“I’m proud of my put-together look and camera-ready appearance. I’m more self-confident than I’ve ever been – and my business is booming. What could possibly be wrong with that?”